BY GODFREY MOWANENG
As the nail biting battle for the BTC premiership title looks set to go down to the wire, another subplot is emerging.
A three way battle for the coveted BTC Premiership top goal scorer award, otherwise known as the Green Boot also looks set to go down to the last day of the season.
Jwaneng Galaxy’s on form marksman Thero Setsile is going head to head with veteran strikers Joel Mogorosi of Township Rollers and Keaketswe ‘Mara’ Moloi of Police XI for the coveted award.
Leading the pack is none other than Setsile, who has 16 league goals to his name, one ahead of Mogorosi and Moloi, who are both tied at 15 goals each.
Fresh from inspiring his Jwaneng Galaxy team to a second Mascom Top 8 title, ‘Mahachi,’ as Setsile is affectionately known, is showing glimpses a striker hungry to prove his mettle.
In the mix, old horses Mogorosi and Moloi have revived old memories of the 2011/12 season when the duo ended the season as joint top goal scorers netting 26 goals apiece.
An experienced box striker known for burying chances, Moloi’s hat trick in a mid-week encounter against struggling Sankoyo Bush Bucks elevated his tally to 15 goals apiece with Township Rollers’ Mogorosi while Setsile’s brace against Mochudi Centre Chiefs took his tally to 16.
After a recent dip in form, Moloi’s reunion with former gaffer Mike Sithole at Police XI revived the Kgatleng born striker’s killer instinct that witnessed Moloi’s crucial impact in leading the Jungle Kings attack. His form has seen Police XI emerge a force to reckon this season with a possible top four finish after struggling in the relegation battle for the past two seasons.
With three games before the wrap of the season, Mogorosi started the season on fire banging on goals and has since struggled to find the back of the net in recent matches. After leading the pack in the goal scoring chart for the better part of the season, Mogorosi is aware of the awards for the green boot efforts thus an upbeat ahead in the last matches of the season.
However, Mogorosi told Sunday Standard that his primary ambition is to win the league title with the club as it counts most. ‘’Honestly individual awards come with pressure, so the top goal scorer award is secondary for now as we are eyeing for league championship and whoever gets the chance to score should bury instead of looking for me as it may cost the team. It is always awesome when the team dominates awards but the green boot will be a bonus to me if I gun it down,” said Mogorosi.
For his part, Moloi said his job at Police XI is to score goals and finish the league on a high note. ‘’At the moment I intend to help my team to finish in the top four this season. My teammates have been very supportive, it is not about the green boot, my contract is coming to an end and I need a job so my masters will only be convinced by my efforts, which is scoring goals,” Moloi told Sunday Standard.
Meanwhile, statistics have proven the downfall of prolific strikers in the elite since the ageing of the likes of Moemedi Moatlhaping and Zimbabwean marksman Terence Mandaza.
In 2009/10 season the former Rollers striker hit the net on 31 occasions, repeating his fate in the next season followed by Moatlhaping with 30 goals. However, the top goal scorer goal tally decline followed in the past few seasons that witnessed strikers failing to reach the 20 goal mark over four consecutive seasons after former FC Satmos striker Patrick Kaunda left for the South African ABSA premiership.
The 20 goal mark was reached last season by Gaborone United talisman Thatayaone Kgamanyane emerging the 2017/18 season top goal scorer.
